BACKGROUND
The European Union’s antitrust chief on Wednesday formally accused Google of abusing its dominance in web searches, bringing charges that could limit the giant American tech company’s moneymaking prowess. The case is the first time that antitrust charges have been brought against Google, despite a yearslong face-off between the company and regulators here. It will almost certainly increase pressure on Google to address complaints that the company favors its own products in search results over its rivals’ services. And in a sign that the pressure in Europe would probably expand to other areas of Google’s business, the antitrust regulator, Margrethe Vestager, also said she had opened a formal antitrust investigation into the company’s Android smartphone software. Full story >>
THE CARTOON
The cartoon by Chappatte from the International New York Times shows an EU judge, accompanied by a law enforcement office, arriving at the Google headquarters to serve an antitrust warrant. She tells the bearded, barefoot Google employee who opens the door, "We're here to search you!"
COMMENT
The cartoonist plays on the word 'search'. Google is a search engine which allows people to search for information, but the police also search somebody's home or business premises when they are looking for evidence in a criminal case.
VOCABULARY
1. A trust is large company that has or attempts to gain monopolistic control of a market.
2. Antitrust is an adjective used to describe legislation that prevents or controls trusts or other monopolies, and so promotes fair competition in business.
3. You search a person or a building (to find something that is hidden), but you search for something that you are trying to find (such as evidence or information). • The police have arrested a man after searching his house. • Detectives have been brought in to help search for clues.
